Observations on the first half with Purdue, 14-13

Purdue scored 10 points in two red zone trips; Michigan converted 7 points in one red zone. Neither team had any turnovers; however, the Boilermakers recovered two fumbles.

Offense didn't look very good. They couldn't establish a running attack, and came away with only 135 total yards with 8 first downs; they were 4 of 7 on 3rd and 4th down conversions with only 45 rushing yards. Donovan Edwards ran 11 times for 37 yards. J.J. McCarthy was 7 of 11 for 90 yards and 2 TDs. Ronnie Bell had 2 receptions for 36 yards. Luke Schoonmaker caught 2 passes for 16 yards and a TD. Colston Loveland caught a 25 yard TD pass. Purdue has done a good job not only stopping our running attack, but they've also put pressure on McCarthy; luckily, he has scrambled away from the pressure to avoid sacks. Offense was forced into two "3 and outs."

Defense has got to adjust to the Purdue offense; they look bad with several missed tackles and poor coverage. Aidan O'Connell hit 19 of 22 for 183 yards; the Boilermaker offense rolled up 202 total yards with 13 first downs, and dominated time of possession by 6 minutes giving them 14 more offensive plays. Charlie Jones caught 7 passes for 74 yards. Junior Colson has 10 tackles to lead the Wolverine defense; Rod Moore had 9 tackles, and the Wolverines had 3 sacks on O'Connell.

Special Teams edge to the Boilermakers due to the execution of a fake punt. Purdue has two field goals to one for the Wolverines. Michigan punted twice, and Purdue only once.

We must establish a time of possession advantage in the second half, and establish a better running game. Our defense had to adjust, and get some takeaways from the Boilermaker offense. This game will be closer than many anticipated. Go Blue!